unitedhealthcare. >>> the results are worrisome. tests given in 34 countries showed 15-year-olds in the u.s. rank 25th in math, 17th in science, 14th in reading. behind kids from places like singapore, finland, japan, and south korea just to name a few. the study follows the much talked about "new york times" column by nicholas chrisoff who visited the appalachian hills of kentucky and found run disturbing reasons why some of america's poorest children are illiterate. nick joins me now live from the "times" to explain. so you go to jackson, kentucky, and people are running literacy programs there but tlrl parents who don't want their kids to learn to read. it just defies all logic and all tradition here in the united states of wanting our kids to have a better life. what's going on? >> well, it's heartbreaking because there is, in effect, an incentive for parents to try to gain the system and have their kids be diagnosed with an intellectual disability because then they can get payments each month until that child turns 18 under the